Life's Too Short
by xfilesgurl
Summary: Set a few months after Serenity. The ship's making a stop at Persephone and a couple of Serenity's people are considering a life away from the old ship. Mal has conflicting feelings on the issue. Well he speak up before it's too late?


**Hey! This is my first Firefly fic. Hope you enjoy! Comments are always welcome and appreciated. More to come soon! **

**Disclaimer: Joss Awesome Whedon owns Firefly.  
**

"Where will you go now Inara? Will you stay?" Mal overheard the conversation between the two women earlier that day when he was walking by Inara's shuttle hoping to get a word in with her but instead finding himself fearing that she was going to leave again.

He hadn't heard her response to Kaylee. Inara was so good at hushed voices, she must use them often with clients. Mal paced his quarters wondering what he would do if she left again.

"Sir?" he heard a knock at the door and went to answer it.

"Zoe?" he asked as he answered the door. He hadn't seen much of Zoe since the death of her husband. No one had. She spent most of the day in her bunk. The only time any of the crew saw her was when they went on a mission. Even then she was very quiet but she never let any of them see her cry so they let her be hoping that she would return to better spirits as time went by.

"Cap'n, I heard we're stopping at Persephone. Are we takin on any new passengers?"

The captain leaned against the door frame and folded his arms against his chest, "Dunno, didn't really think of it."

"We could use the money." Zoe said.

"Suppose that's true."

"Sir…" Zoe paused looking at Mal wondering if she should ask him about Inara, then taking an even longer pause where she began to wonder if she should even stay on the ship. They were stopping at Persephone, it was the perfect place to get off and start somewhere new, where everything didn't remind her of… But where would she go? Did she even want to go?

"Zoe were you gonna say something or just stand in my doorway?"

She shook her head slowly. "Sorry Sir, that'll be all."

Mal watched her curiously as she walked off to her room. He worried that Inara wasn't the only one considering leaving his boat and wondered if maybe Kaylee was right when she said that someday he would drive them all away.

He ran his hands through his hair, just as he was about to close the door to his quarters River floated by briefly stopping to look at him and say, "Don't worry Mal. Things will be looking up soon."

He gave her a weak smile as she strolled away and closed the door when she was out of his vision. He supposed he should take what River said as a good thing. It did sound like a good thing right? He never could tell with her.

Mal stripped off the button down maroon shirt he was wearing and let it fall to the ground. He went to his drawer and picked out a similar blue shirt and put it on. He liked to look somewhat decent when he made a stop. He pulled the door open and made his way to the bridge.

He found River there already steering the boat in the right direction. "Think you're ready to land this thing?" he asked already knowing the answer. She simply turned and smiled at him.

He decided he wasn't needed here so he left and went to the cargo hold and took a seat on one of the higher stairs. He wasn't left alone very longer, Kaylee walked by and took a seat next to him.

She was glowing. Ever since her and Simon got together- which they thought the rest of the crew didn't know about but they did- she had been both of them glowed happiness. Something the rest of the crew didn't quite share, except River whom you never really knew what to expect and Jayne but he was Jayne.

"How ya doin Cap'n" She asked slightly nudging his arm as she spoke.

Mal turned her head to look at her he gave her a weak smile, "We're still sailin' so everythin's alright by my book." She nodded. He wanted to ask her what Inara had told her but couldn't seem to find the words. Somehow she sensed it or maybe that's why she had come to sit next to him in the first place.

"Cap'n Inara… Inara's not so sure she's stayin."

"Well it's her life, she can do with as she pleases." He said turning his head away from her to hide the pain he was feeling.

"Cap'n if ya don't mind my sayin I reckon she just might change her mind if ya said somethin to her." Kaylee gave him an encouraging smile, "She just needs to know how ya feel Sir."

"Ta ma de, Kaylee." The captain muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

"It's just a suggestion Sir. Might get the two of you out of this right fowl state you've been in since…" her voice drifted off. She stared at the captain waiting to see if he was going to say anything or even if he was going to look at her but he just kept staring at his feet. A few moments passed and she decided she should leave him be, "You think on what I said." She ordered as she got up and went to go find Simon.

Mal breathed a sigh of relief when she left. _Was nothing private on this gorram boat? _he wondered to himself.

***Ta ma de means damn it  
**


End file.
